By now you’ve probably seen staff writer Kevin Mahadeo’s review of “The Incredible Hulk” over on Wizard Universe proper, but what you may not know is that I too—yes, the loudest of monkeys himself—was also in attendance for the screener that Monsieur Mahadeo viewed. However, our plan to run dueling reviews (cue banjos) was foiled by the massive amount of work needed on the War Heroes Cover Competition voting and I was prevented from writing a timely review.

So, because being a “monkey” of a certain vocal distinction means I must voice opinions on certain things, I’ll opt for a later—and more casual—review of Green Genes return to the big screen…in the blogosphere!

And away we go…
And of course, heads up, ’cause there be spoilers ahead!

Straight to the point, “The Incredible Hulk” is a darn good flick that doesn’t just dig the Jade Giant out of the hole Marvel’s first gamma-charged flick dug for it (spoken from a guy who enjoyed Ang Lee’s take), but rockets it a Hulk hamstring-powered leap into the territory successful film franchise. The film kicks off with loads of nerd-nods to S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark Industries, followed throughout the film by the original Hulk theme song, cameos from Lou Ferrigno, Stan Lee and RDJ as Tony Stark, not to mention teases about Captain America, The Leader and the Avengers. If the movie was simply a preview of the greater Marvel Universe being setup with this summer’s Marvel movie fare, it’d be worth the price of admission, but luckily, the flick delivers some heart and a classic Hulk story as well!

All in all, there really isn’t much to pick at in “The Incredible Hulk.” It’s maybe got a few more gags than harsh critics can go for, but it’s a comic book movie summer blockbuster—some comic book cheese isn’t just nice, it’s necessary! You throw a gag about giant purple pants into a Hulk film and, as a big Hulk fan, I’m going to love it.

And hey—much as I liked it—it wasn’t a perfect film, but if my two main critiques are any indication, this film is going to be a crowd-pleaser.

My critiques?

First: not enough punching. Oh, there’s Hulking out aplenty and, yeah, the Hulk turns a police car into a pair of boxing gloves, but I could have gone for a bit more fist fighting.

Second: Hulk and the Abomination weren’t strong enough. I’m a fan of the Hulk being more like a natural disaster then a wrecking crew, and I wanted to see him and the Abomination tossing around taxis like dodgeballs and toppling towns like they were tidal waves! They’re strong and they do some damage, but I want a Hulk-level event, not just a jumbo-sized streetfight. Ok, I’m splitting hairs, because the final battle is a f—king awesome fight scene, I’m just greedy and wanted more!

Lastly: I got a “Hulk Smash!” but I really wanted this scene…

Abomination: [Hulk in headlock] “You think you’re strong?! You’re nothing!”
Hulk: “No! Hulk is the strongest one there is!” [Three punch combo puts the Abomination down before Hulk grabs him by the legs and slams him repeatedly into the pavement]

…oh, or a “Puny Human…”

In the end, I’d give “Incredible Hulk” a B+ to “Iron Man’s” A. Marvel’s two for two this summer and I can’t wait to see what they roll out next year!